Presidents Day, observed the third Monday in February, has to be the trivia lover’s favorite federal holiday. For starters, the name of the holiday has no apostrophe. It’s for “Presidents” plural. While Mother’s Day is to honor your specific mother, and Father’s Day your own father, Presidents Day does not honor our current president, nor most of the 44 officeholders who came before him.
The holiday began as a celebration of George Washington’s birthday. And in fact, “Washington’s Birthday” is still its official name. “Presidents Day” is its popular name.
Here’s another interesting twist. Because of the 1968 law designating that the holiday be observed on the third Monday in February (to create a long weekend), it can never be observed on our first president’s actual birthday. Washington was born on February 22nd and the latest a third Monday can fall is the 21st.1
But odder still, according to official calendars, the day George Washington was born is not his birthday. How is this possible?
The National Archives explains: “George Washington was born in Virginia on February 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. In 1752, however, Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar which moved Washington’s birthday a year and 11 days to February 22, 1732.” (The whole calendar switchover and the resulting “missing days” is a fascinating subject of its own.)
Like many of our national observances Washington’s Birthday was celebrated unofficially for many decades before it became a legal holiday. Congress first established it officially for the District of Columbia in 1879.
Abraham Lincoln, who was also born in February (02/12/1809), was unofficially added to the holiday as at least a dozen states began to celebrate “Washington and Lincoln’s Birthday.” And so, when we celebrate Presidents Day, it’s for these two presidents in particular.
Both were remarkable men whose presidencies were marked by self-sacrifice.
George Washington, by the end of his second term, was at the height of his popularity. But at this critical point in the life of the new republic he chose to step down, giving up the potential for dictatorial power.
Abraham Lincoln held the reins as the country plunged into the worst constitutional crisis imaginable: 11 of the 15 slaveholding states seceded from the U.S., leading to an armed conflict. While the fight was ostensibly about states’ rights, Lincoln with his Emancipation Proclamation made it specifically about slavery.2 It was like throwing fuel on a fire. In terms of its human toll, the Civil War became the costliest conflict in American history.
It’s important to remember that both men did their most important work for our country when their popularity was low—Washington as a failing general, and Lincoln as a president who told the brutal truth about what it might cost to end slavery.
We hope you enjoy Presidents Day, have a chance to amaze your acquaintances with the above trivia, and remember the lives of these two great men.
If you ever have any questions about your investments or retirement plans, please feel free to give me a call at 801-545-0696.
Regards,
Mark Lund
Stonecreek Wealth Advisors, Inc., A Financial Advisor in Utah
11576 S State Street, Bldg. 1002
Draper, UT 84020
Sources:
1. http://go.pardot.com/e/91522/egislative-features-washington/92sqc8/1815397678?h=lI6mqUttgo9pKW8jcTMJT8o9IUCG6AGKDPVh8lzpc0g
2. http://go.pardot.com/e/91522/presidents-washington-lincoln-/92sqcc/1815397678?h=lI6mqUttgo9pKW8jcTMJT8o9IUCG6AGKDPVh8lzpc0g
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